Amanda Giacon Parra (photo) has a degree in History and a Master and PhD degrees in Ancient History. She works as a school teacher in the city of Lins, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. She became a Spiritist in 2016 and works as a volunteer at Casa do Caminho Dr. Bezerra de Menezes, in the city of Promissão (SP). She also teaches Spiritism to children and gives talks as a Spiritist speaker across the region. In this interview, she speaks about the ideas of the Italian educator, Maria Montessori, who has greatly inspired her.  

In the event Education and Peace, which was held in 2019, you spoke about Maria Montessori. Please tell us a bit more about this author and her work.

Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and became one of the first women in Europe to graduate in Medicine. To understand her, it is important to know that she lived and worked under Mussolini’s fascism in Italy, when education was based on coercive methods. She studied Education and founded an institution called “Casa dei Bambini,” or “Children’s House,” introducing a new approach to education. She paid special attention to disabled children. She went round the world giving talks and lectures to highlight the moral values of humanity and was nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize in 1940 and 1950.

Which aspect from her work draws your attention in particular?

Montessori is fascinating for her journey, her ideals and her ideals. Taking into account the extremely difficult and violent period she lived in, it is amazing to understand how much her thoughts and her practice went against all that. Montessori stresses the importance of the educational process in the formation of a more empathetic and autonomous human being. She creates a theory of child development and says that child would have a positive impact on the planet and towards the formation of a fairer and less unequal society if educated according these new guidelines. More than anything else, she stresses the important role educators must play in this process of change.  

Do you see any links between Montessori’s thoughts and the educational model proposed by Spiritism?

I believe, perhaps in a simplistic manner, that any adult that decides to apply the Montessori method must change himself or herself first. In other words, we need to go through a process of self-education, which is so often mentioned in Spiritism as our inner reform. Another important aspect to take into account is that Montessori teaches us to build a new, more horizontal teacher-student relationship. We must be ready to learn with that person, that child, who is a unique individual with unique talents that must be developed. That child needs to understand that he or she has a personal mission and a mission towards humanity. That child needs room to develop all that.

Can education promote peace?

Montessori says that “man has grown in power but not in wisdom.” In other words, despite all the scientific developments and technological progress we have experienced, man hasn’t develop morally at the same. Proof of that is the number of years we have lived under wars and dictatorships. She says that all that technological progress doesn’t make sense without moral values. She believes that lasting peace will come through education. According to her, “politicians have the responsibility of avoiding conflicts; educators have the responsibility of establishing a lasting peace.” So, whoever the educator is (parents, carers, teachers, uncles and aunts, grandparents etc.) we all have a responsibility towards the promotion of peace, by teaching the new generation not only through words, but mainly by leading by example.

Do you think Montessori’s ideas can help Spiritist educators teaching the Gospel and Spiritism?

Montessori’s educational proposal is an inspiration not only for its contents, but also for its method, which can indeed help all educators in so many aspects. She encourages everyone to give children more autonomy and to respect their individuality and the knowledge they bring with them. A teacher must, therefore, be able to listen more, rather than simply giving a talk. After all, the child or young person must take an active role, putting forward his or her attitudes, ideas and thoughts. That’s the material the educator has to work on. Also, Montessori encourages sharing and cooperating. Her education model is not based on competition and selfishness. It is, therefore, in total harmony with the moral principles that Jesus praised and practiced.  

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to draw attention to one of the questions posed by the author: What meaning are you giving to material progress? Montessori was already worried about this issue in the first half of the 20^th Century, in a society destroyed by two great wars. We have experienced so many conflicts since Montessori’s days and that question is more relevant than ever: What purpose are we giving to progress? What are the contradictions of our society, of our educational model? We want an economic model that builds a fair and equalitarian society, but the model we have in the world creates an increasingly bigger economic, cultural and social gap… In sum, the conferences and talks that Montessori gave in the 1930s are still extremely relevant. And what is my share of responsibility in helping perpetuate this distorted economic model we live in? As an educator, I can make a concerted effort to change my relation with the person being educated. Maria Montessori invites us all to reflect on how we educate our children. She highlighted the importance of us becoming Conscious Adults, who will focus on values in the education process and will see children as a source of hope.